TEMECULA: City wrapping up review of wireless antenna plan

The city is getting ready to wrap up what has turned into a
monthslong review of Houston-based
Crown Castle
International's
plan to install a huge wireless antenna system
across a wide swath of Temecula.

Since March, the city Planning Commission has approved 35 of the
39 antennas that will make up the system, which initially will be
used by
MetroPCS
to enhance
its local coverage.

Many of the antennas, which are nodes in a grid that covers the
majority of the city's southern and eastern reaches, are light
poles with antennas attached to the side.

In areas where city residents didn't want extra light, they will
just be poles with antennas that look like stereo speakers attached
to the sides.

Stuart Fisk, city senior planner, said Friday that Crown Castle
is working with residents on placing the final four nodes and he
expects that the commission could consider the last batch in
November.

Illustrating the challenges Crown Castle has faced as it has
worked to find places for its nodes, Fisk said a resident who lives
near Crowne Hill Drive asked for a pole that had been approved to
be moved away from her home, to
Crowne Hill and Pauba Road.

The commission was set to look at that new location this week,
but the item was postponed because residents who live near the
corner were concerned about the antenna.

So it's back to the drawing board for Crown Castle, a company
that last year bought New Path Networks Inc. to boost its wireless
infrastructure business.

Fisk said some of the other issues to be worked out are
relatively minor. Crown Castle is working to secure permission to
use an existing wood utility pole in one location instead of
installing a new metal pole, and it is looking at moving a pole
near the clubhouse in the
Paseo
del Sol neighborhood.

As the commission has reviewed each of the nodes in the past few
months, it has heard from residents worried about radiation that
will be emitted from the devices.

The commission, however, cannot consider those types of concerns
when approving or denying the application because of federal law.
It can only rule on narrow issues such as aesthetics.

Other residents have asked why the city needs more wireless
coverage, especially in neighborhoods already wired by large
carriers.

Patrick Richardson, director of planning and redevelopment, has
responded by saying the city has to treat Crown Castle as a
utility, and utilities are allowed to use the public right of way
---- in this case, sidewalks and the like ---- to install
infrastructure for the public good.

As for how the city would handle applications by other companies
looking to follow in Crown Castle's path, Assistant City Attorney
Bill Curley said that the city would ask future companies to work
with existing infrastructure rather than build new poles.

Along those lines, Crown Castle reps have said that the system
will be able to handle additional carriers in the future, such as
AT&T, Verizon and Sprint.